Continuation of the discussion on the etiquettes of the student of knowledge.
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The Shaykh : We continue in this session with what has preceded regarding the explanation of the etiquettes of the student of knowledge, which we have previously discussed with you.
First: Who is present? Yes.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Sincerity to Allah in seeking knowledge. Now, the second one.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : The intention of drawing near to Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, in seeking knowledge.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes, we explained in the previous session that seeking knowledge is equivalent to jihad in the path of Allah, and we cited a verse from the Book of Allah as evidence for this.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : His saying, the Exalted:
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Not the beginning of the verse,[At-Tawbah 9:122]
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes,[At-Tawbah 9:122], now, "so that they may understand the religion"—to whom does the pronoun refer? To the group that departs or the group that remains?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : The one that departs, the one that remains, or the one that departs? I am the one asking.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : The one that remains. Now, we mentioned that this verse indicates the fallacy of those who said that jihad is an individual obligation for every single person. What is the indication from the verse?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : That Allah said:[At-Tawbah 9:122] This is impossible; it is not possible in the Shari'ah to say to the believers: "All of you, depart for jihad in the path of Allah."
Then Allah, Mighty and Majestic, guided that a group from every faction should depart and a group should remain.
We have reached, in the etiquettes of the student of knowledge, the point that it is obligatory for the student of knowledge to avoid envy. What is envy? The well-known definition among many scholars is: wishing the removal of Allah's blessing from His servant. That is, if Allah bestows upon a person knowledge, wealth, status, a child, or anything else, and you wish that Allah's blessing upon him be removed, this is the famous view among many scholars.
And Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Rather, envy is: disliking Allah's blessing upon His servant, even if you do not wish its removal. That is, whenever you dislike that Allah has bestowed a blessing upon His servant, you have envied him.
And envy is a great affliction; it is among the major sins, because it consumes good deeds just as fire consumes fuel, and because it is a characteristic of the Jews, as Allah the Exalted said:[An-Nisa 4:54] And He said: [Al-Baqarah 2:109]
And because the essence of envy is not being pleased with the divine decree of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Who is it that bestowed this blessing upon this servant? Allah. So if you dislike this blessing, you have not been pleased with the decree of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. And because envy consumes the heart, and it begets regret and remorse. And the more Allah's blessings increase upon His servants, the more the person increases in regret over that blessing.
He sees that he is in a position where he cannot attain the rank that this envied person has achieved, so he laments and says: "I will not reach this." And thus, he falls far behind in what Allah has bestowed upon His servants.
And because envy plunges a person into constant worry and grief, because the blessings of Allah upon His servants are innumerable. Do you increase in worry and grief every time Allah bestows a blessing upon His servant? If you do that, you have killed yourself.
Based on this, it is obligatory for the student of knowledge, first, and for other Muslims, second, to avoid envy, not in his heart, not in his speech, and not in his actions. As for the heart: his envy is what arises in him of disliking Allah's blessing upon the servant and wishing its removal.
And as for speech: it is that he takes to criticizing his envied brother and concealing every blessing that Allah has bestowed upon him. So you find that, for example, if he sees the people gathering around him and that they do not accept him in this envied matter, he finds him praising the envied person and saying: "He is the noble man, the brave one, the scholar, the worshipper, and the like of that." Then he says: "But such and such."
And this happens often; he brings up one defect from his defects in exchange for what? In exchange for several virtues of this person, so that he lowers his status. This is aggression by speech against the envied person.
Aggression by action against the envied person: that he tries not to spread his books, not to spread his tapes, so he does not direct people to them in the bookstores or in the recordings. And perhaps he is asked: "Is so-and-so's book in such-and-such bookstore? Are so-and-so's tapes in such-and-such recordings?" He says: "No," while he knows that they are there, but out of envy he envies him. And this is undoubtedly aggression against his brother. For this reason, it came in the hadith: Meaning: if envy of a person arises in your heart, do not seek to harm him by concealing his virtues and being aggressive toward him. - May Allah have mercy on you -
So the result is: that aggression and tyranny from the envious person increases his envy, meaning: it increases his sin and calamity. If we know that, then it is recommended for the student of knowledge, if his brother needs something from books, notes, or tapes, to help him obtain them as long as he has them, and not to respond to the call of Satan who says to him: "If you help him, he will surpass you and get ahead of you, so strive not to help him." For this is from the inspiration of Satan, and it is one of the causes of the delay of this envious person, becauseJami` at-Tirmidhi 1425Sahih (Darussalam) so help him Sahih al-Bukhari 6951.
And it is important for the student of knowledge to be concerned with spreading the greeting of peace, and this characteristic, unfortunately, is missing among many students of knowledge. You find him passing by a brother from his colleagues or others and not greeting him. And this is a great affliction, because the greeting of peace is the symbol of meeting among Muslims. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 2162b And he said (peace and blessings be upon him): Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2688Sahih (Darussalam).
And it is amazing that it is not hidden from students of knowledge that spreading the greeting of peace is from the Sunnah, and that there is a reward in it: if you say "As-salamu alaykum," then ten good deeds, and the mercy of Allah is twenty, and His blessings are thirty. And yet, we see many students of knowledge meeting each other without some of them greeting others, whether the one is younger or older. And this is an affliction that students of knowledge must eradicate. And let the student of knowledge know that people look at him with a look of imitation and a look of reproach. As for the look of imitation: they imitate the student of knowledge in what he says and does and leaves.
And as for the reproach: they reproach the student of knowledge if he leaves what should be done, or does what should be left. And perhaps a good deed from the student of knowledge becomes many good deeds, because people honor him with it and take him as an imam. And perhaps a bad deed becomes many bad deeds, because people reproach him, turn away from him, and he is deprived of the benefit of knowledge.
So upon you, my brother, student of knowledge! Upon you to fear Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and to be well-mannered with the etiquettes of knowledge, and to strive to spread knowledge as much as you can, and to call to Allah with insight. And may Allah guide us all to what He loves and is pleased with, for He is capable of all things.
Now, to the questions.
First: Who is present? Yes.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Sincerity to Allah in seeking knowledge. Now, the second one.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : The intention of drawing near to Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, in seeking knowledge.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes, we explained in the previous session that seeking knowledge is equivalent to jihad in the path of Allah, and we cited a verse from the Book of Allah as evidence for this.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : His saying, the Exalted:
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Not the beginning of the verse,
And it is not for the believers to go forth [to battle] all at once
وما كان المؤمنون لينفروا كافةThe student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes,
when they return to them that they might be cautious.
إذا رجعوا إليهم لعلهم يحذرونThe student: ...
The Shaykh : The one that departs, the one that remains, or the one that departs? I am the one asking.
The student: ...
The Shaykh : The one that remains. Now, we mentioned that this verse indicates the fallacy of those who said that jihad is an individual obligation for every single person. What is the indication from the verse?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : That Allah said:
And it is not for the believers to go forth [to battle] all at once
وما كان المؤمنون لينفروا كافةThen Allah, Mighty and Majestic, guided that a group from every faction should depart and a group should remain.
We have reached, in the etiquettes of the student of knowledge, the point that it is obligatory for the student of knowledge to avoid envy. What is envy? The well-known definition among many scholars is: wishing the removal of Allah's blessing from His servant. That is, if Allah bestows upon a person knowledge, wealth, status, a child, or anything else, and you wish that Allah's blessing upon him be removed, this is the famous view among many scholars.
And Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Rather, envy is: disliking Allah's blessing upon His servant, even if you do not wish its removal. That is, whenever you dislike that Allah has bestowed a blessing upon His servant, you have envied him.
And envy is a great affliction; it is among the major sins, because it consumes good deeds just as fire consumes fuel, and because it is a characteristic of the Jews, as Allah the Exalted said:
Or do they envy people for what Allah has given them of His bounty?
أَمْ يَحْسُدُونَ النَّاسَ عَلَى مَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِMany of the People of the Scripture wish they could turn you back to disbelief after you have believed, out of envy from themselves
وَدَّ كَثِيرٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَوْ يَرُدُّونَكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ إِيمَانِكُمْ كُفَّاراً حَسَداً مِنْ عِنْدِ أَنْفُسِهِمْAnd because the essence of envy is not being pleased with the divine decree of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Who is it that bestowed this blessing upon this servant? Allah. So if you dislike this blessing, you have not been pleased with the decree of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. And because envy consumes the heart, and it begets regret and remorse. And the more Allah's blessings increase upon His servants, the more the person increases in regret over that blessing.
He sees that he is in a position where he cannot attain the rank that this envied person has achieved, so he laments and says: "I will not reach this." And thus, he falls far behind in what Allah has bestowed upon His servants.
And because envy plunges a person into constant worry and grief, because the blessings of Allah upon His servants are innumerable. Do you increase in worry and grief every time Allah bestows a blessing upon His servant? If you do that, you have killed yourself.
Based on this, it is obligatory for the student of knowledge, first, and for other Muslims, second, to avoid envy, not in his heart, not in his speech, and not in his actions. As for the heart: his envy is what arises in him of disliking Allah's blessing upon the servant and wishing its removal.
And as for speech: it is that he takes to criticizing his envied brother and concealing every blessing that Allah has bestowed upon him. So you find that, for example, if he sees the people gathering around him and that they do not accept him in this envied matter, he finds him praising the envied person and saying: "He is the noble man, the brave one, the scholar, the worshipper, and the like of that." Then he says: "But such and such."
And this happens often; he brings up one defect from his defects in exchange for what? In exchange for several virtues of this person, so that he lowers his status. This is aggression by speech against the envied person.
Aggression by action against the envied person: that he tries not to spread his books, not to spread his tapes, so he does not direct people to them in the bookstores or in the recordings. And perhaps he is asked: "Is so-and-so's book in such-and-such bookstore? Are so-and-so's tapes in such-and-such recordings?" He says: "No," while he knows that they are there, but out of envy he envies him. And this is undoubtedly aggression against his brother. For this reason, it came in the hadith:
If you suspect, do not verify, and if you envy, do not seek revenge.
إذا ظننت فلا تحقق، وإذا حسدت فلا تبغSo the result is: that aggression and tyranny from the envious person increases his envy, meaning: it increases his sin and calamity. If we know that, then it is recommended for the student of knowledge, if his brother needs something from books, notes, or tapes, to help him obtain them as long as he has them, and not to respond to the call of Satan who says to him: "If you help him, he will surpass you and get ahead of you, so strive not to help him." For this is from the inspiration of Satan, and it is one of the causes of the delay of this envious person, because
Allah is engaged in helping the worshipper as long as the worshipper is engaged in helping his brother.
الله تبارك وتعالى في عون العبد ما كان العبد في عون أخيهAnd whoever fulfilled the needs of his brother, Allah will fulfill his needs.
فمن كان في حاجة أخيه كان الله في حاجتهAnd it is important for the student of knowledge to be concerned with spreading the greeting of peace, and this characteristic, unfortunately, is missing among many students of knowledge. You find him passing by a brother from his colleagues or others and not greeting him. And this is a great affliction, because the greeting of peace is the symbol of meeting among Muslims. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
When you meet him, offer him greetings
إذا لقيته فسلم عليهBy the One in Whose Hand is my soul! You will not enter Paradise until you believe, and you will not believe until you love one another. Shall I inform you about a matter which if you do it, then you will love one another? Spread the Salam among each other.
والله لا تدخلوا الجنة حتى تؤمنوا، ولا تؤمنوا حتى تحابوا، ألا أخبركم بشيء إذا فعلتموه تحاببتم؟ أفشوا السلام بينكمAnd it is amazing that it is not hidden from students of knowledge that spreading the greeting of peace is from the Sunnah, and that there is a reward in it: if you say "As-salamu alaykum," then ten good deeds, and the mercy of Allah is twenty, and His blessings are thirty. And yet, we see many students of knowledge meeting each other without some of them greeting others, whether the one is younger or older. And this is an affliction that students of knowledge must eradicate. And let the student of knowledge know that people look at him with a look of imitation and a look of reproach. As for the look of imitation: they imitate the student of knowledge in what he says and does and leaves.
And as for the reproach: they reproach the student of knowledge if he leaves what should be done, or does what should be left. And perhaps a good deed from the student of knowledge becomes many good deeds, because people honor him with it and take him as an imam. And perhaps a bad deed becomes many bad deeds, because people reproach him, turn away from him, and he is deprived of the benefit of knowledge.
So upon you, my brother, student of knowledge! Upon you to fear Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and to be well-mannered with the etiquettes of knowledge, and to strive to spread knowledge as much as you can, and to call to Allah with insight. And may Allah guide us all to what He loves and is pleased with, for He is capable of all things.
Now, to the questions.